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Topic: HELP WITH MY 6 VOLT SIREN........ (Read 6377 times)

I need help ...I have a antique firetruck that I put a siren/lite on and removed my other siren ...big mistake ....My old siren was twice as loud I am hoping someone can tell me how to make this siren louder ...they are both 6 volt .....is it just the speed they spin at??? if so how do I increase this ...thanks

If it is a Sirenlite they did not have the biggest motors or impellers, so they were not that loud, and the siren would spin at the same speed if it is a six volt siren on a six volt system. If it is a six volt siren on a twelve volt system, however, it will not wind up as fast or reach the same speed, I am guessing you had a larger siren before (bigger motor and impeller). Something to think about (from having ridden in many parades) is the fact that the continual blowing of something like a Federal Q is not really a great thing for people in front of you in the parade, nor for viewers. While it is cool to have a really loud siren, you aren't going to a fire, so I would guess that your siren is plenty loud enough as it is. Since you obviously have an old truck I would concentrate on something people don't see or hear on the rigs of today like a bell or a rotary gong, or perhaps an exhaust whistle, something that would make people go "well you don't hear that every day".

Sorry I don't have any good info on 6V v 12V, but on my rig (with an electric siren) I put a "dimmer" type switch inline with the speaker for parades so I don't blast everyone's ears. With the dimmer down its about 40% volume, with it up, its 100%!

a lot of apparatus is in response areas so if they get a run they good red and loud . there have been complaints from parents their kids ears were hurt

There shuld be a you tube from phila center city responsneit will prove a point the federals are bounciong all th high rises to the point you can't hear anything on the first alarm. now we only send one eng or ladder to a alarm system that helps alot . But when they strike the box again we get 6 Q's going to the sme place you have no idea whio is coming from where . yea i know there are ff'out there saying whay uoui don;t know where co's are of course we di if threy are in the station but we spond around half a day on the street and any one can be coming from anywere

There were two sirenlite models made by Sterling: The Model 30 had an 8" rotor and the 20 had a 6" rotor. If you replaced a 30 with a 20, that's the difference right there. And if you're using another siren, Federal, Champion, etc., there are considerable size differences. Usually the only time voltage makes the difference that way is if you were trying to run a 12-volt siren off 6-volts. I saw an ambulance in Odessa, TX many years ago that had an unusual 8-volt system. The siren was a 12-volt Q, and it would only reach about half-speed when turned over. But put a 6-v siren on 12, you're asking for trouble because you could burn up the siren quickly. As you said, "big mistake". You might want to put the old back on or look for another larger siren...on Ebay for example.

All the above is true, but you might consider running your rig on an 8 volt tractor battery. I know that many old car guys have done this for years with no harm as with the slow cranking with a 6 volt they have more reliable starts, and they don't even have to change out the light bulbs as the elements take it OK, although they may not have the life as on the rated voltage, but they are not burning out every other day either. There are probably a million people who tell you you can't do it, but it has been done for years. I would bet that many old timers will tell you the only real concern in any case would be the motors, and if you think about it you are only running the starter for several seconds at a time several times a day at most, and the siren less than that, so I guess those are odds I would take, and it seems to me I heard long ago that you will get in more trouble faster trying to run a twelve volt motor on a six volt system than vice-versa, as the six volt has to have heavier gauge wiring in the first place, which seems to be true. At any rate, check it out with an electrical shop, and paint a true picture of just how much use you have on the system and they will tell you how much risk you are running if you do so and any alterations you might have to make. Short of everything I mentioned I would ask about coils and condensers (bet they come in 8 volt, after all a coil is a coil and a condenser is a condenser, anything that will fit will work) and I imagine your rig has vacuum wipers if it is old enough to be six volt, which means it is a commercial chassis 30s or 40s vintage or thereabouts. Just my two cents worth. Check into it.